


Bridesmaid

by Kaori (Kayozuki)



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:35:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24897781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kayozuki/pseuds/Kaori
Summary: A wedding was the last thing Sayo expected to witness on a supposedly quiet weekend.
Relationships: Hazawa Tsugumi/Hikawa Sayo
Comments: 2
Kudos: 78





	Bridesmaid

**Author's Note:**

> A fun little extension to the "Flowery June Bride" event. Will finish my other fic soon, but do accept this offering in the meantime.

"Wait up... Hina!"

"I would, but I'm in a hurry to get to my lessons at the agency, and there's a place I need to visit along the way."

Sayo's hand was tugged at by Hina as the younger twin expertly weaved through the bustling district, leaving Sayo to fend for herself against the relentless onslaught from the oncoming crowd. It was supposed to be a quiet weekend — a perfect summer afternoon for her to work on her chords, but as usual, she had to be interrupted by Hina. Not that she was complaining; on the contrary, she was content that the two of them had grown closer over the past year. But that wasn't the point right now.

"And remind me why is it that I have to tag along?"

Hina craned her neck back, her eyes sparkling. "It's really boppin', and I think you'll be interested!" 

A despondent Sayo interpreted her answer as a catastrophe that loomed ahead. 

"Besides, you've no practice today, so you'd be cooped up at home playing the guitar or that NFO thing either way. You really should go outside more!"

"I do plenty of that with school and band practice. And it's hot out," Sayo shot back with a curt frown. "Staying at home was indeed the best choice I could've made, and should've made."

"Aw c'mon, don't be such a spoilsport!" Sayo couldn't see Hina's face, but was already picturing her puppy dog eyes which would conveniently materialize whenever her persuasive switch was flicked on. Worse still, her buoyant enthusiasm was intensifying by the second, making it even harder for Sayo to douse it out. "I swear you won't regret it. You'll see!"

A resigned sigh escaped from Sayo's lips. There was no choice but to play along, or she was never going to hear the end of it. 

"If you say so…"

Hina pumped a fist with her free hand, almost breaking into a jog by now. "Now that's zappin'! We're almost there!"

It was a few minutes of walking before the building came into view, towering over their miniscule figures in comparison. Thankfully, the pair was granted respite from the sweltering heat as they took shelter. "A wedding hall?" Sayo asked, her eyes widened in wonder. More questions were buzzing around her head now. "What's this about?" 

"Eve-chan has a solo photo shoot here, something about a commercial for a wedding magazine, and she was asked to play the part of the bride in a wedding scene." Hina started to explain animatedly, her words spewing out as quickly as a bullet train. "It's the first time she's doing a commercial of this scale all by herself, and she's been telling Pastel*Palettes how nervous she was. She has a few friends over right now to help, but it isn't the same as having friendly professional co-workers around her, y'know? So since we were busy today, we made a video message to send some love and support over!"

Sayo nodded. It was beginning to make sense now. "That's very encouraging from you girls. But if it's a video message, couldn't you have sent it through LINE?"

"Sure I could." Hina hopped up the steps which led to the entrance and opened the door, revealing a posh, ornamental interior. She motioned Sayo in with a wave and took the lead, pushing through a few corridors, greeting a few strangers in passing. "But I'm not sure if Eve-chan will have the time to check her phone if she's busy preparing for the shoot. And I don't know how to say it… I just had this burning desire to deliver it in person. It feels more boppin' that way!"

"Making time for Wakamiya-san even when you're so busy…" Sayo muttered. It certainly was easier to notice Hina's compassion for the people she cared about while observing from a third-person's perspective. She couldn't help but smile. "You really are amazing, Hina."

"Hmm?" Hina flipped around once again. "Did you say something Onee-chan? I couldn't hear you over the noise."

Sayo hastily cleared her throat. "I was asking why I was here in that case. Does Wakamiya-san require any extra assistance?"

"Nope. I think she's in good hands."

A blank look came over Sayo's face. "You mean... you just wanted me to watch her at the shoot?"

"And her friends, yup! It isn't everyday that we— or rather, you will get to witness something so thrilling happen."

Sayo paused midstep. Her eyes narrowed, and her brow crinkled into a frown. "Hang on. I don't think they'd simply allow anyone to watch this… I'm sorry Hina, but I think I should head back— Hina!?"

Her sister had already rushed forward by herself and was exchanging words with a woman in a suit. It was probably her manager from the agency, Sayo thought, judging from the way the woman eyed Hina — it was a concoction of concern, bewilderment and worry, which was completely understandable. Relatable, even. This was Hina they were talking about, after all.

"...yes, I'm just here to pass a quick message to Eve-chan and will head for the agency immediately after..." Sayo heard Hina say as she hurried after them, to which the woman nodded in relief. "Is it okay if Onee-chan sticks around for a while longer? She won't make a scene! If anything, she's the last person in the world who would do that." A silly grin came over her face. "Right, Onee-chan?"  
  
"R-right— I mean, please wait!" Sayo shot a horrified look at Hina's manager, who was carefully sizing her up. "Please excuse my sister for being so forward," she bowed slightly, as though she were a parent apologizing to Hina's teacher for misconduct. "It's not my intention to bother the staff at work, and I understand if outsiders aren't allowed in the premises."

The manager considered Sayo for a while before answering, "Unfortunately, outsiders aren't allowed into the dressing room, but I believe an exception can be made to watch the shoot since you're related to Hina-san. As long as no trouble is caused for the staff and models, of course." She then turned to Hina. "Would you like to speak to Eve-chan now? She's currently in the dressing room."

"Yup! Unless she's busy right now?" Hina asked.

"Not at all," Her manager said. The two of them promptly strode down the corridor and vanished around a corner as they conversed, leaving a dumbstruck Sayo to enter the wedding hall by herself with no room to protest.

* * *

Sayo wasn't sure what she was feeling. It was a mixture of being in awe and swimming in a bundle of nerves. She cast a furtive look around. Pink flowers adorned the sides of the lengthy benches, and a floral velvet carpet had been laid out in the center of the room, leading to the stage where the vows were to be made. Not that any actual ones were about to be recited today, obviously, but Hina wasn't wrong. It was a surreal spectacle to behold.

Still, Sayo felt out of place in this vast hall, but nobody paid her any heed as the staff interacted amongst themselves, finalizing the preparations for the shoot. Most of them were crowded up front, fussing over the lights, cameras, and models. She caught sight of a vexed Arisa behind the agglomeration — in a bridesmaid dress — as she tried her utmost best to break free from another person's grasp. She must be one of Eve's friends who had volunteered to help out, although she wasn't quite who Sayo was expecting.

"Sayo-san?"

She jolted at the call of her name. 

That voice was so familiar, but it couldn't be... 

Sayo lifted her head incredulously, but there Hazawa Tsugumi was, standing a few feet away from her. She donned a sunflower yellow dress with ruffle straps that was decorated with floral patterns around her chest, with a floral hair accessory and earrings to finish. Sayo couldn't help but stare, at a complete loss for words. It was the first time she'd seen Tsugumi all dressed up in this manner. She looked— 

"S-Sayo-san?"

Her jaw had slackened with dumbfounded surprise, which had left her gaping. She hurriedly recovered, or at least made an attempt to. "Ah, Hazawa-san..." she returned the greeting, wincing internally at how winded she sounded. "Hina was just telling me that Wakamiya-san had invited a few friends to help out as bridesmaids, but I wasn't expecting you to be one of them."

"Ran-chan, Kasumi-chan and Arisa-chan are here as well," Tsugumi nodded towards the stage. "Eve-chan approached me during our joint shift to ask if I was free to fill in as her bridesmaid for her shoot since they were short on people, and I accepted the offer since I had nothing else going on today." 

Tsugumi paused, a conflicted expression flashing past her face for a split second. "How… how do I look?" She added timidly, performing a little twirl to give Sayo a better view. Not surprisingly, all it did was to drag Sayo's dangling emotions alongside the fluttering of her dress.

"You look, um…"

Her mind said it all. The chilly air-conditioning made Tsugumi's hair flow faintly in waves, adorning her glowing, porcelain-like skin. She looked like a holy angel who had descended from the heavens to grace Sayo with her presence. She was comparable to the picture of perfection. To say that Tsugumi was beautiful would be a gross understatement.

But her mouth refused to cooperate. "...good. You look really pretty."

Sayo grimaced. She'd botched up an opportunity to praise Tsugumi, hadn't she? Tsugumi seemed unfazed though; rather, her features had brightened up as Sayo's superficial compliment floated into her ears. What looked like a small blush rose to Tsugumi's cheeks, and she whispered a quiet "thank you", her eyes fixed on the area surrounding Sayo's feet. 

They both paused. There was something lingering in the air between them, and Sayo wasn't sure if Tsugumi felt it too… but it was uncomfortable. All she knew was that she was afraid. She didn't want to blunder and squander away this golden chance. At the same time, she was exasperated by her inaction, and desperately searched to steer the conversation somewhere that wasn't an awkward void of silence. 

Eventually, she pointed dumbly to the hair accessory Tsugumi was wearing. "Is that handmade?" 

Tsugumi looked back up, relief flooding her face. "Oh, yes! It was made by Ran-chan. Wearing real flowers can be a little unsettling though… they're delicate as opposed to artificial flowers and tend to shift out of place when I'm walking around."

"You're right. It's slanted a little to the left." Sayo stood up and stepped forward unwittingly, reaching a hand out to adjust its angle. "There are some stray hairs here too," she murmured, her fingers deftly running through Tsugumi's hair, brushing her skin ever so slightly as she returned the pesky strands back to where they belonged. She stepped back to admire her handicraft, and instead, noticed that the tips of Tsugumi's ears had turned bright red. 

The gravity of what she'd just done then hit her like a truck.

She leapt the remaining distance backwards. "T-there we go," she uttered faintly, trying not to trip over her words. "It shouldn't fall out of place anymore, since you'll be standing on the stage for the most part."

Tsugumi didn't even thank her this time. Her eyes were darting around to drink Sayo in, as if she were in a dreamy trance. Sayo was at a loss for words as well. On one hand, it felt like she'd just screwed things up, and on the other, the expression Tsugumi was making was just _too cute_.

Fortunately, a thunderous clap brought their attention to the front, along with everyone else's. The background chatter slowly died down. All eyes were now trained onto the stage. The shoot was about to begin.

"I'd better get going, Sayo-san," Tsugumi said, sounding a little breathless. Her fingers were gripping onto the hem of her dress. "Thank you for coming to see us."

Sayo nodded mechanically. "I'll be rooting for you, Hazawa-san."

A bashful smile came on Tsugumi's face and she turned away, trotting back to the stage where Eve and the bridesmaids waited.

* * *

It was about an hour before the director called for the final scene to commence. Up till then, the bridesmaids had been standing unobtrusively in the background, so as they stepped forward with Eve, they were finally in full view of the cameras and crowd. 

Sayo could see Tsugumi's brown eyes sweep over the hall at the earliest opportunity until, inevitably, they locked eyes. The guitarist was spellbound, unable to tear her eyes away, mesmerized by how stunning Tsugumi was. Tsugumi continued to gaze at her, an unreadable smile playing on her lips, freezing Sayo up as she felt everything else around her melt away, leaving the two of them in this seemingly perpetual moment. 

Tsugumi broke her gaze as the director made another call. She looked back to the front rows, but it was too late. A weird sensation of tightness had formed in Sayo's chest, one that she just couldn't shake off, and her heart had involuntarily geared into overdrive. She felt lightheaded, but it wasn't an entirely unpleasant feeling at the same time.

In the meantime, she'd been so distracted that she hadn't noticed Eve holding out a bouquet. The combination and placement of roses did not bear the semblance of a professional bouquet, but even Sayo could tell that a lot of work had gone into its design. It had clearly been crafted with gratitude and love. It was a simple, yet effective display of Eve's feelings for the people around her. 

"Now, let us begin! A joyous wedding with all my friends by my side!"

The bridesmaids behind her started to huddle together as Eve concluded her speech, their shoulders pressed against one another as they tensed up, suspensefully waiting for something to happen. Sayo watched with bated breath, even though she was clueless on what was scheduled to occur next.

The director opened his mouth and started to count down.

"Three…"

Eve closed her eyes. The flowers were now nestled comfortably against her chest, her slender fingers loosely propping up their stalks from the base. The hall was now completely still, other than the director and the multitude of clicks and flashes from the cameras.

"Two…"

Sayo snuck another peek at Tsugumi. For some reason, her attention had diverted to the bouquet with a longing contemplation, coupled with a tinge of hesitant determination. As if on cue, the tradition of the bride throwing the bouquet whizzed into Sayo's head. It was widely believed that the girl who caught the bouquet would be bestowed with romantic luck, resulting in her own blissful marriage in the future. A pass of the baton to the fortuitous girl as a form of encouragement for her own rite of passage.

"One!"

The bouquet launched into the air, beginning its trajectory in a perfect hyperbola backwards. 

It was ridiculous to believe in such myths. Rather than to entrust her faith in the unpredictable hands of fate, the dedication and commitment of hard work was really the deciding factor that made relationships blossom and last. Sayo was well aware of that. And yet…

She was traitorously praying for Tsugumi to catch the bouquet. 

Her elbows dug into her knees. Her heart dipped into an ink of anticipation and anxiety. What if Tsugumi wasn't the one who caught the bouquet? Sure it wouldn't be the end of the world, but—

"You did it, Tsugumi-san!"

Eve swiveled around in delight, paying no heed to the draping fabric of her flowing dress and pulled a visibly stupefied Tsugumi into a joyful hug, while the other bridesmaids gathered around her to offer their congratulations. Although, it really was just Kasumi fawning over her, with Arisa and Ran averting their eyes to the side in secondhand embarrassment as they patted Tsugumi's back.

Meanwhile, the crowd erupted into applause to celebrate the end of a successful shoot. But Sayo didn't join in. She sat in a transfixed silence, watching Tsugumi from afar. The keyboardist's cheeks were kissed pink like a spring rose, its blooming hue accentuating her whitened skin. She shyly lifted the bouquet to mask the lower half of her face, her eyes jumping from bridesmaid to bridesmaid as she profusely thanked everyone for their well wishes. 

And finally, they landed on Sayo once more.

She was beaming with a radiance that was almost blinding. Sayo could only stare back, thinking how contagious that smile was, which complimented her glimmering eyes and the delicate sweetness that swirled within. Tsugumi held out the bouquet towards the guitarist, her lips moving to form words that Sayo couldn't quite hear. But they reached her all the same. 

And in time, Sayo would muster the courage to return those heartfelt words to the girl she loved so deeply.


End file.
